DebianInstallerNetworkConsole

IMHO using network console (d-i over ssh) is most useful when used in conjuction with preseeding the network configuration and the network console password - if you can configure this using local input+output, then why use network console at all ? (Answer: for cold and noisy server rooms for example...)

Using network-console and preseeding

How to create a CD or USB image that enables network-console

After creating a basic CD or USB image, you must edit syslinux.cfg and create a preseeding file to automatically enable network-console.

Create a new label and give it a name (e.g., netinst). Use the following boot options:

If you'd like to do a keyboardless install, change the DEFAULT line to use your new label rather than 'install', and change TIMEOUT to a non-zero number so it is automatically chosen.

For lenny, change the timeout in syslinux.cfg and prompt.cfg. Do not change the default in syslinux.cfg. Add your new label to text.cfg and change the default there. Include "menu default" and "menu label Netinst" lines in your new label, and remove the "menu default" line from the Install label.

Create a preseed file (see below) named preseed.cfg and place it in the root of your CD or USB media.

Howto build an netboot-initrd

As explained above, you need d-i from sid (rc2 won't work), so you need a sid build environment... so chroot (see Build A Chroot) into it and: